– The farmed salmon is actually quite white or beige-white in the flesh. The farmed salmon does not get natural food that colors the meat pink, as wild salmon does, says Kjell Jensvoll, owner of Jensvoll fish. Kjell Jensvoll was originally a fisherman in northern Norway before he moved south and established a fish shop at Haslum in Bærum. He is a staunch supporter of wild fish, and occasionally sells farmed fish. – The farmed fish is not quite the real thing, says Jensvoll. – Yes, the farmed salmon gets a type of beta-carotene added to the feed, Liv Helen Seppelæ chimes in from behind the fish counter. This is not known among customers, they say. news makes contact with research communities to gain more knowledge about the color of farmed salmon. REAL GOOD: Kjell Jensvoll and Liv Helen Seppelæ note that customers do not know that farmed salmon is basically white-beige or white-yellow. Photo: Anne Cecilie Remen / news Stores color in the muscles Salmon’s well-known pink color is due to the fact that the fish has its own ability to store dyes from the food it eats in its muscles. This ability is lacking in other types of fish, says researcher Trine Ytrestøyl at Nofima. Ytrestøyl has a PhD in salmon pigmentation and has worked with this for over 20 years. When the salmon live and swim freely in the sea, in lakes and in rivers, they eat food that naturally creates a pink color in their muscles. Wild salmon feed by eating shrimp, shrimp shells, crayfish, algae and plankton. – The red color in salmon and trout comes from the pigment astaxanthin. The fish cannot produce this dye itself, the color comes from the feed, says Ytrestøyl. But the farmed salmon do not get hold of prawns, crayfish or other natural feed that gives the muscles colour. The farmed salmon in the cages live on industrially produced dry feed. The fish eat pellets. To compensate for the lack of colorants from the feed, synthetically produced astaxanthin is added to the food. It is the same substance that turns the lobster red when it is cooked, Ytrestøyl explains. – The synthetically produced astaxanthin is similar to what is found in nature, and is not harmful. It also contains an antioxidant, says Ytrestøyl. The substance astaxanthin can also be obtained from a special type of yeast. Astaxanthin contains substances that improve the salmon’s immune system and protect against disease. During spawning migration, the salmon transfer the color to the eggs, which is why the roe also turns reddish pink. The salmon must have more color The content of the dry feed for the salmon has changed in recent years. Before, the farmed salmon received more protein through fishmeal and fish oil in the feed. Now, more soya, wheat and rapeseed oil is added to the feed than before. The problem for the farming industry is that the salmon in the cages no longer absorb the dye in astaxanthin very well. According to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry’s research funding, pale or uneven red color in the salmon has increasingly become a quality problem for Norwegian farmed salmon. The pigment level in the fish has been reduced in recent years, and in 2020 the lowest pigment levels in farmed salmon were reported ever. – The farmed salmon has become whiter in recent years, we don’t know the reason, but we are doing research to find out, whether it is due to stress or whether it is due to disease, says Ytrestøyl. The result is that more and more dye must be added to the feed for farmed fish. ATTRACTIVE AND PINK: Research shows that customers are willing to pay more for dark pink salmon. Photo: Anne Cecilie Remen / news The limit value for use of the additive is regulated by the EU. – In order for such a feed additive to be approved for use, it must be documented that it is not harmful to the animal, the consumer or the environment, says head of research Robin Ørnsrud at the Institute of Marine Research, HI. In recent months, news has had several reports showing a large extent of diseases among the farmed salmon. Mass death in farming facilities along the entire coast from Western Norway to Møre, large outbreaks of lice, gill-diseased salmon with breathing problems, self-dead salmon that the Norwegian Food Safety Authority thought were on their way to the market are some keywords. The question is also whether farmed salmon’s reduced ability to absorb the dye also affects fish health. That is being researched now. The researchers do not yet know whether there is a connection between the reduced red color in the fish meat and the increasing extent of disease outbreaks among the farmed salmon. Strong pink color means more money – Astaxanthin as an antioxidant is necessary for the fish’s health. In addition, it is perceived as attractive to consumers. The color has a double function, both to give color to the muscle and to add a vital antioxidant, says researcher Gunnar Sundstøl Eriksen at the Veterinary Institute. Research is now being done to understand which genes are involved in the red coloring of salmon so that the farming industry can breed salmon that can absorb color more efficiently. Because the right pink color has a direct impact on the profitability of the industry. Several consumer surveys show that customers associate the dark pink color with good quality salmon. Studies show that consumers are willing to pay more for salmon the deeper the pink color of the meat. But customers in different countries have different preferences for how deep the pink color of the salmon should be. The breeding companies order pink color according to a color chart, which may be reminiscent of what we know from paint shops. In Japan, consumers prefer light pink salmon, while in France and Italy, for example, they want a darker pink color. Some farming companies operate organically and have the dye added to the feed in a more natural way through the use of shrimp shells and algae, among other things. – Astaxanthin is assessed as safe for animal health, public health and the environment, says senior adviser Ann-Cecilie Hansen at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority also carries out checks on producers of salmon feed. – In 2024, there will be a focus on the use of additives in our supervision of pre-manufacturers, says Hansen. Back in the fish shop, general manager Jensvoll says that consumers’ ignorance of the color of the salmon can look a little strange. – When wild salmon and farmed salmon are next to each other on the counter, customers usually point to the farmed salmon because it is so much stronger in colour. The wild salmon is a much lighter pink, says Jensvoll. He himself has no doubts about which salmon he prefers. – Wild salmon, of course. It swims freely in the sea and has a good life. It tastes the best and is the healthiest.
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Farmed salmon is not naturally pink, it is white beige – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
